Packnet Blog

A leading expert in the field of business futurology has predicted a significant increase in the future take-up of VoIP for businesses, based on what he sees as a growing trend away from working at the office.

Leading VoIP handset manufacturer, Snom, has created an innovative and eye-opening video showcasing its full product range.

A new survey has revealed that most businesses in the UK believe their current broadband connections are not as reliable or as future-proof as they could be. They have also criticised their internet service providers (ISPs) for what they see as inadequate levels of customer service.

Japanese hi-tech corporation, Fujitsu, has declared its intention to lay high speed fibre optic cable networks connecting homes and businesses in some of the UK’s rural areas.

A franchised restaurant belonging to the world famous burger and fast food outlet chain, Wendy’s, has successfully used VoIP – or voice over internet protocol – to help speed up its drive-through customer ordering process.

The University of Nottingham has embarked on an extensive programme of replacing all its conventional telephone connections with a new network of low cost base voice call facilities accessed via the internet.

To date, in spite of having upgraded only 10% of its phone connections to its new VoIP network, the University has already reduced its phone costs by 60%. The academic centre is now planning, over the next few years, to switch the remainder of its phone lines to the new IP telephony system.

A survey by consumer internet phone service provider, Skype, has predicted that VoIP use for businesses will have risen by 10% between the end of 2009 and the close of 2011.

Interestingly, the survey anticipates that over the same period workplace use of mobile phones will have only increased by 5%, whilst email and traditional telephone landline use will have actually decreased by around 5% and 6% respectively.

BT says that a widening of access to VoIP is one of the reasons behind its decision to upgrade its existing broadband copper cable network.

The network upgrade is expected to ensure that by the end of the current year, approximately 80% of residential and business premises across the UK will be able to access broadband speeds reaching 20 Mbps.

The financial benefits to companies of adopting broadband-based services such as business VoIP could become even more pronounced if internet service providers are able to pass on proposed cost savings to their business customers.

Ofcom, the UK telecommunications regulator, has called on BT to reduce- the annual prices it charges internet service providers (ISPs) to use its broadband infrastructure. Depending on the particular category of wholesale charge levied, the proposals could see a reduction in costs for ISPs of anything between 1.2% and 14.6%.

When it comes to business phone systems and telecommunications information services in general, there can be a lot of confusion regarding some of the terms that are bandied around.

Most businesses, for example, are familiar with the concept of business VoIP; they are aware that it stands for business voice over internet protocol and – as the name suggests – that it refers to the concept of making voice calls over the internet rather than via conventional telephone lines.